Recruitment Subsidy

Former Member

Ok so I am currently out of work and have been for some time. Initially I used the time I had free after losing my job to take care of my Nan while she had cancer. After this I began looking for work properly. And it's far from easy at the moment. I had always come by jobs easily before but with the climate as it has been it was extremely difficult. I could send out a hundred applications and I would be lucky to get 10 replies. Maybe one would offer an interview (they would also say that they had a lot of candidates to interview) and the rest would be a no.

I did claim JSA because I was making use of it the way it was intended and not going out to spend it on booze. Plus I had paid my taxes in the past so why not stick my hand in the governments pocket as they had me so many times?
Anyway it's still an ongoing endeavor.
But on friday the Job Centre gave me a form entitled "Recruitment Subsidy" where they will pay an employer £500 when they take on a candidate who has been claiming JSA, and then a further £500 after 6 months of employment provided the job lasts more than six months and is more than 16 hours a week.

I'm just worried that this will make matters worse because I'm told a lot of employers cant be bothered with the subsidy and ones that do tend to let people go as soon as theyve got the money. Also it ltes them know I have been out of work for 6 months which again might put them off.

Anybody any advice on what to do?

Olly_B

Hi Mylo_B,

It sounds like you’ve had a pretty tough time over the last few months.

Recruitment subsidies are a government initiative that encourages firms to take on employees who have been on Jobseekers’ Allowance for more than six months. Whilst some people are critical of initiatives like this, it has been designed to help someone who is exactly in your position.

In the current economic climate, not having been in work for the last six months isn’t the taboo it might once have been. So, how much does it matter if a potential employer knows that you haven’t been in work for the previous six months? They are going to see this on your CV or application form.

You might have heard negative stories about how employers treat the scheme, but it’s an opportunity to get you into a company – and they are unlikely to go through the whole process of recruiting and then employing someone for six months simply to get a (comparatively) small cash reward.

You are allowed to mention the recruitment subsidy on your application letter. Depending on how you treat it, will depend on how your employer treats it. If you opened your letter saying “Employ me and you can get £500” then the employer may conclude that the only reason to employ you is because they can access the cash; whereas if you had it as the final paragraph “As I’ve been on Jobseeker’s Allowance for the last six months, therefore should I be successful in this application you would be entitled to a recruitment subsidy” you are treating it as an extra incentive to get them to at least interview you.

I’m sure you are doing lots of other things to make sure you are employable. Try and get more feedback from when you are unsuccessful, either at application or interview stage. Get other people, preferably someone who recruits people as part of their job, to read through your application. Make sure you are mentioning lots of things like any volunteering you have done, work experience or other hobbies or activities you have been doing whilst looking for work.

Good luck, and hopefully you’ll find something soon.

Olly